Cloth trade and Growth of London

• What was the original cloth trade system called?

  The Domestic System or ‘The Putting-Out System’
• What were the benefits of the Domestic System?

  • No permanent/contracted employment
  • Industry was in homes, free of taxes and regulation
• What were the disadvantages of the Domestic System?

  • Unskilled labor led to varying quality of cloth
  • Regional variation: Lancashire produced coarse cloth unsuitable for clothing, while West Country produced high-priced ‘broadcloths’ for the Low Countries
• How much did employment in textiles increase to in Colchester from 1619 to 1699?

  From 26.4% in 1619 to 40% in 1699
• What percentage of exports did cloth account for in 1660?

  74% of exports in 1660
• What percentage of exports was cloth in 1700?

  72% of exports in 1700
• What percentage of exports was cloth in 1640?

  Cloth was 92% of exports in 1640
• What was the value of cloth exports in London in the 1560s?

  Rose from £600,000 in the 1560s to £1.5 million in the 1660s
• What did ‘New’ or Worsted Draperies allow for?

  Production of finer, lighter clothing appealing to European interests
• How did French Huguenots improve the cloth trade?

  By combining lighter fabrics such as silk with English wool
• How did the Dutch Loom benefit the cloth trade?

  Allowed for more efficient production of textiles and finer materials such as silk
• How many immigrants were working in the cloth industry in 1585?


  13,000 in Norwich and Colchester
• From 1650, where did French Huguenots and Dutch Protestants establish a weaving industry?

  The East End
• What was an example of migration for royal favour?

  • Gentry would go to Inns of Courts
  • Aim to become part of the Royal Court or have careers in the military
• Why did specialists move to London?

  It offered a greater wealth of opportunity more than subsistence work
• Why was London ideal for merchants and businessmen?


  It was the heart of the road and shipping network, making it easily accessible
• What was developing in London during the 17th century?The Investment and banking industry
• What was centred in London?

  The legal system with all of the Inns of Courts where judges were trained
• What was developing in London during the 17th century?

  The Investment and Banking industry
• What was the population of London by the mid 1600s?

  400,000
• What was the population of London by 1700?

  575,000
• What did London become in the mid 1600s?

  The largest city in Western Europe
• What percentage of the population did London account for?

  9%
• What did the London market dictate by the middle of the 1600s?

  National prices of grain, livestock and cloth
• What did the banking and insurance industry provide?

  Employment as well as profit
• Why were more legal services required?

  Due to more gentrymen and merchants
• When was the Muscovy Company founded?

  1555
• When was the East India Company founded?

  1600
• What did the growth of overseas trade allow for?

  A growing insurance market
• What did the more professionals in London allow for?

  A growth of improvement services